Cherries as far as the eye can see, and in a hodgepodge puzzle of different growing practices and varieties is how B.J. Thurlby sums up the cherry production he saw in northern China on a mid-April trip. Thurlby, president of the Washington State Fruit Commission, which administers the Northwest Cherry Growers, and Keith Hu, foreign promotion director, spent a whirlwind week in northern China getting an overview of Chinese sweet cherry production. Northwest Cherry Growers is the promotion arm for cherry producers in five states (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Utah). Thurlby and Hu met with some of the country’s […]